Vigor of Twelve is a play off of the fact that Jesus had twelve disciples. It is a name that helps stress an importance on discipleship. This blog is specifically geared for younger people and mature Christians who don't mind a fresh, bold, and blunt approach to faith. Comments welcome, let's begin the discussion!

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Monday, February 29, 2016

Luke 2:33-35

Luke 2:33-35

And His father and mother were marveling upon the things
that are being said regarding Him. And
Simeon blessed them and said to Mary His mother, “Behold! This one exists for the fall and rise of many
and into a sign while speaking in opposition to some. And a sword will penetrate your same soul so
that the thoughts should be disclosed out of many hearts.

Thoughts for Today

First
Thought:

I have the same thought every time I read Luke 2:33. The thought goes like this: “Really? Mary and Joseph marveled? How could you possibly be surprised by
anything about Jesus when the angel Gabriel comes and essentially says that He
is the Son of God?” Truthfully, I’ve
often wondered if Mary and Joseph were slow learners. However, I am becoming quicker at finding humbleness
in that thought. We are human beings
living in a fallen world. We are so
accustomed to the greed and selfishness of the people around us – and even
within ourselves – that God’s action will always surprise us. These words don’t mean that Mary and Joseph
didn’t understand what was going on.
These words mean that they were amazed with the fresh reminder of God’s
hand at work. When I phrase it this way,
I think we see something in Mary and Joseph to admire. They weren’t amazed in confusion; they were
amazed in joy. It was amazingly
refreshing to be reminded about how God’s hand was at work in the world.

Are you ever amazed at how God’s hand works in you? Where are you refreshed by God’s presence in
the midst of this world?

Second
Thought:

Simeon’s words to Mary show us the typical anticipation of
God’s Messiah. Simeon says that Jesus
will be the fall of many. Jesus will be the
rise of many. Jesus will be the one who
brings the deep thoughts of our hearts into the light of God. But we also know that God will use these
words in ways that even Simeon couldn’t imagine. It is the proud who fall. It is those who refuse to be humbled who will
fall. Specifically with Jesus, it is the
religious leaders who will fall. It is
those who embrace humbleness who will be lifted up. It is the poor and the lost and the
downtrodden who will rise in Christ. We
know this to be true, but it is a truth that is best understood from a human
perspective in retrospect.

When has God been a stumbling block in your life? When has God taken you out of humbleness and
lifted you up and allowed you to rise?

Third
Thought:

Simeon also has a special message for
Mary. Simeon says that this same sword
will pierce her very soul as well. Many
people think that this speaks to the pain that she will go through while watching
her Son die upon the cross. This
certainly may be the case. I can’t
imagine that the experience of watching your child being crucified would be
able to be described as anything less than soul-piercing. However, I’m not convinced that this is the
focus of Simeon’s words. As we read
through the Gospel accounts, we know that even Mary has her struggles with
Jesus’ identity. There are a couple of
times that we are told that Mary and Jesus’ brothers come to Him and try to get
Him to come home because they think that He is out of His mind. I personally think that this is Simeon’s
warning to Mary that she will also have to come to grips with the message of
Jesus and humble herself. We know that
she does, so the warning ends well! But I
cannot imagine that this would have been an easy process for Mary to
endure. Humbling ourselves before God is
never an easy process for anyone.

Where are you successful at being
humble before God? How can that feel
like a sword piercing your spirit? Where
do you struggle being humble before God?
Could you describe your lack of a desire for humbleness as an attempt to
resist being pierced by God’s sword?